Cristobal becomes a hurricane, stays off U.S. east coast

KINGSTON, Jamaica (AP) — Cristobal moved away from the Bahamas after strengthening into a hurricane, leaving a swath of soaked Caribbean islands and at least five fatalities in its wake.

The U.S. National Hurricane Center in Miami said that by early Tuesday the hurricane was centered about 610 miles (980 kilometers) southwest of Bermuda. It had maximum sustained winds of 75 mph (120 kph) and was moving north at 12 mph (19 kph).

The storm was projected to gradually take an even more northeastward track, and pass to the west and north of Bermuda on Wednesday. Hurricane force winds extended outward up to 45 miles (75 kilometers) from the center, and tropical force winds extended outward up to 205 miles (335 kilometers).

Before strengthening into a hurricane, Cristobal flooded several communities across the Caribbean and halted flights in the drenched Turks and Caicos Islands. Government offices and banks were shuttered Monday on the low-lying islands that are highly vulnerable to flooding from heavy rains and storm surge, and authorities said many homes were flooded.

Officials in Turks and Caicos said some 12 inches (30 centimeters) of rain had been dumped since Friday.

This hurricane season has been relatively quiet, with only three named systems so far.

A typical year, based on weather records dating to 1950, has 12 tropical storms, of which seven become hurricanes. A tropical storm has sustained winds of 39 mph; it becomes a hurricane when its winds reach 74 mph.

Meteorologists had forecast strong El Nino conditions for the late summer and early fall, but the El Nino influence appears to be much weaker than anticipated.

Both the National Hurricane Center and Colorado State University have lowered their forecasts for 2014. Many hurricane experts say conditions in the Atlantic Ocean are unfavorable for storm development this year. Sept. 11 is the peak of hurricane season, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.